---
title: "Selection API - BuildPrint wiki"
description: "Read and change the player's selection, and capture part of the world as blueprint data."
url: https://voxelsprout.com/buildprint/wiki/selection-api
---

[BuildPrint](https://voxelsprout.com/buildprint) [Wiki](https://voxelsprout.com/buildprint/wiki)Selection API

# Selection API

Read and change the player's selection, and capture part of the world as blueprint data.

The selection is the set of boxes the editor's Select tool and the `/buildprint pos1` commands make. Changes show at once, in the editor and outside it. From BuildPrint **0.1.19**.

A box is `int[] {minX, minY, minZ, maxX, maxY, maxZ}` in world blocks, inclusive. Several boxes are one `int[]` with 6 numbers per box.

## Change the selection

```java
BuildprintSelection.clear();
int index = BuildprintSelection.add(new int[]{0, 64, 0, 15, 80, 15});
int[] boxes = BuildprintSelection.regions();
BuildprintSelection.remove(index);
```

## Capture part of the world

A capture is what saving the selection would write, as [blueprint data](https://voxelsprout.com/buildprint/wiki/placements-api#blueprint-data) and without a file. It keeps block entities, entities and each box as a region.

```java
BuildprintSelection.capture("mymod", data -> {
    if (data == null) return; // the player left the world in between
    int[] origin = (int[]) data.get("origin"); // world block of the first cell
    boolean complete = (Boolean) data.get("complete");
});

// Or other boxes; the selection stays as it is.
BuildprintSelection.captureBoxes("mymod", new int[]{0, 64, 0, 7, 70, 7}, data -> { });
```

## Good to know

* In single-player the capture comes from the world on the built-in server, so it has everything, container contents too.
* On a server it has what the game sends players. Container contents are only there for containers the player opened this session. `unseenContainers` says how many were not.
* `complete` is false when part of it was not loaded and came out as air. `missingChunks` says how many chunks.
* The callback runs on the client thread: at once on a server, a moment later in single-player.
* A server can turn off making schematics with BuildPrint Policy. `capture` then returns false and does not call back.
* Captures over 67,108,864 blocks call back with null.

## Reference

| BuildprintSelection                                                           | What it does                                                            |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| isAvailable()                                                                 | In a world.                                                             |
| regions() / activeRegion()                                                    | The boxes in order, and the index of the active one, or -1.             |
| add(int\[\] box)                                                              | Add a box, corners in any order, and make it active. Returns its index. |
| remove(int index) / clear()                                                   | Remove one box, or all of them.                                         |
| capture(String owner, Consumer<Map<String, Object>> done)                     | Capture the selection.                                                  |
| captureBoxes(String owner, int\[\] boxes, Consumer<Map<String, Object>> done) | Capture these boxes instead.                                            |

[Previous Library API](https://voxelsprout.com/buildprint/wiki/library-api) [Next Rules API](https://voxelsprout.com/buildprint/wiki/rules-api)

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